Alimentary Tract and the Influence of Bacteria present, 7 



and then an increase. This increase in the two lower portions was 

 due to the inorganic chlorides. The chlorine, in combination with 

 organic bodies was found in greatest quantity in the stomach, where it 

 was combined for the most part with proteids. It gradually became 

 less in amount in the intestines, except in the lower ileum, here, how- 

 ever, one observation, in which the contents of that section were very 

 concentrated, caused its average proportion to rise to a high level. 

 Volatile chlorine was detected in the stomach contents, in the duode- 

 num, and other parts of the small intestine. None was found in the 

 large bowel. In the stomach and duodenum much of it was in the 

 form of hydrochloric acid, below the duodenum it was probably 

 present as unstable compounds of ammonia, or of other organic bases 

 formed from proteids by the action of trypsin. 



In those instances where the acidity of the stomach contents was 

 high, as after proteid food, the chlorine present in the bowel was 

 present in larger quantity than the average. 



Solids. — The total solids at 110° C. were in the largest proportion 

 in the lower part of the ileum. Unfortunately, owing to the large 

 intestine having been emptied shortly before the time when many of 

 the analyses were made, the values obtained for the contents of this 

 section of the canal must be regarded as fallacious. The solids were 

 in lowest proportion in the large intestine, and only slightly greater 

 in the stomach. A much higher figure was obtained from the 

 contents of the duodenum than from the stomach. 



The inorganic ash was present in larger proportion in the duodenum, 

 jejunum, and lower ileum than in the other sections. 



Bacteriology. 



The organisms grown from the contents of the six sections into 

 which the alimentary canal was divided were found to vary in number 

 and character with the degree of acidity present. The higher the 

 acidity the greater was the proportion of acid-forming growths, the 

 majority of which were unable to liquefy gelatine, and, as a rule, the 

 smaller was the total number of bacteria cultivated. 



When the acidity was low a greater number of liquefying organisms 

 could be grown, most of which rendered the nutrient medium alkaline 

 in reaction. 



When an ordinary diet (porridge, milk, and some meat) was 

 given, the contents of the duodenum yielded the fewest colonies, 

 those of the stomach a few more, while below the duodenum the 

 numbers grown increased progressively. A purely meat diet caused 

 an almost entire disappearance of growths from the tubes inoculated 

 from the stomach, duodenum, and jejunum, a marked fall below the 

 average in the numbers in the ileum, although the colonies obtained 

 from the large intestine were as numerous as usual. 



